La Voix de la Lune
by Doinstuffman
Summary: Set several months prior to the events of the game "Destiny", a team of Guardians is deployed to the Moon to investigate reports of a war between the House of Devils and the (as of this time unidentified) House of Exiles. What they find is more powerful than any Fallen House. Original characters inspired by the author's own in-game Guardians.
1. Title and Dramatis Personae

_**Destiny: La Voix de la Lune**_

Fireteam Orion

Bill: Human Male Titan Defender (voice/personality of Desmond Miles [Assassin's Creed])

Dak-12: Exo Male Hunter Gunslinger (voice/personality of Tony Stark [Marvel Cinematic Universe])

Kahlee: Awoken Female Warlock Sunsinger (voice/personality of Kahlee Sanders [Mass Effect 3])

Cee: Bill's Ghost (voice/personality of Pvt. Leonard Church/Epsilon [Red vs. Blue])

Vera: Dak's Ghost (voice/personality of Samantha Traynor [Mass Effect 3])

Val: Kahlee's Ghost (voice/personality of Garrus Vakarian [Mass Effect]


	2. The Cosmodrome

**The Cosmodrome**

"Jeez, no matter how many times they tell me it's impossible, I swear I can still smell the ether through the filters." Bill popped the seals on his helmet and pulled it off. A team of dead Dreg lay scattered around his feet. As the night air hit his face, the stink of the ether leaking from the bodies became ever more pungent. His nose wrinkled, and he shifted upwind of the Fallen corpses.

"I've got to get the damn quartermaster to take another look at this thing." He checked the seals on his helmet's air filters, frowning as he worked.

Bill looked up from his helmet as Dak-12, his team's Hunter and resident sharpshooter, approached him. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Actually, I agree. I don't even HAVE a sense of smell, and I can still smell this crap." Dak chuckled as he sat down beside Bill to clean his sniper rifle, a gift from the Tower gunsmith.

"I'm kind of getting used to it. Maybe I'll make a cologne out of this stuff, someday." Bill laughed to himself as he finished his repairs and put his helmet back on. The Titan rose to his feet.

"Okay, NOW I think you're crazy."

"You're both crazy, how about that?" Kahlee's voice crackled on the comlink. "I've finished my circle, and I'm heading back now. Please try to sort yourselves out before I get back."

"Last time I checked, Kahlee, I was the one giving orders. Now Dak, sort yourself out before Kahlee gets back, please? You know how much she dislikes everything fun." Bill pointed a finger towards Dak and pretended to scold him.

"Sorry, Fireteam Leader." Dak's voice took on a similar sarcastic tone as Bill's.

Bill heard Kahlee scoff, even over the whine of her Sparrow's engine which filled the comm channel. "Why do I even bother? Trying to talk sense into a Titan is like trying to convince the Fallen that Ghosts aren't worth stealing."

"I miss you too, Kahlee. Hurry back."

"On my way." The comm channel fell silent again.

Dak slid the bolt out of his rifle and went over it with a rag. "She seems pleasant today."

"She's a Warlock, what do you expect?" Bill picked up his auto rifle and placed it on his back. He opened his palm, and his Ghost sprang to life, its clean white shell with orange accents mirrored Bill's own armor.

"Cee, any more targets in the area?"

The tiny robot hummed for a moment as Bill watched the scan pulses sweep over the Cosmodrome through his heads-up display. "Nothing within range worth worrying about. Looks like there's a skiff about half a klick to the East, but they're bugging out. Admirers of your handy work, perhaps?" The back half of his shell did several full rotations as the scan finished.

"Who knows? Thanks, Cee. Put me through to Zavala, might as well give him something to smile about today."

 _If he even knows how,_ he thought to himself.

As he waited for the comms link to establish, the sound of an approaching Sparrow shifted his gaze to his left. Kahlee's speeder came over the ridge near him and came to a halt next to Dak, who hastily covered his disassembled rifle with his cloak to keep the dust cloud the Sparrow kicked up from ruining his cleaning work.

She dismounted her Sparrow, and her Ghost sent it away via transmat. She took off her own helmet, her white hair clashing against her light blue skin.

"Anything worth noting out there?" Dak brushed off his cloak and continued to work on his weapon.

"Nothing. I can't explain it. Not one ping on my tracker the whole time I was out there."

"That's impossible. They were all over us just now. They couldn't have just disappeared, even the Fallen aren't THAT good at hiding. Cee even said there was a Skiff half a klick east."

"Quiet," Bill snapped at them as the team's channel crackled to life again.

"Zavala. Report, Fireteam Orion." The veteran Titan's voice was as stern and professional as ever.

"Contacts at the Skywatch have been neutralized, sir. There's nothing left on scans."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, sir."

Zavala sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. Return to the City, Guardians. We need to talk."

"Roger that, Commander. Over and out."

Dak pieced the rest of his rifle together, and slung it over his back as he stood. "Anyone else think this whole situation is more than a little unusual?"

"A little. Why would the Fallen just turn tail and run all of a sudden? This area is filled with salvage, I've never seen them abandon a place like this before, especially not the Devils. They've never given up on a salvage op." Kahlee called her own Ghost, a vibrant blue shell bobbing in her hand.

"Val, bring the ship around. We're heading home."

"Well, it's about time. I'm getting a little tired of this place."

Dak and Bill did the same, and soon the three Guardians were headed to the Tower, home of the Guardians.


	3. Errands In The Tower

**Errands In The Tower**

Bill stepped out of his shower and changed into a simple tunic and pants. The slate gray tunic bore the Titan crest on the left shoulder, and on the right breast he bore the double-headed eagle Insignia, identifying him as member of Zavala's Order. A restless night of sleep didn't seem to do much to ease his nerves. He couldn't help but wonder what his next assignment would be. He hit the door switch to his quarters and walked down the clean white halls.

As he neared the archway at the end of the corridor, he shielded his eyes from the sun just starting to hit his eyes. It was just past dawn in the City, and the Sun was starting to peek over the edge of the mountains in the East. Bill walked down a set of steps into the Tower plaza, and made his way over to Banshee-44, the old Exo who served diligently as the Tower gunsmith.

"Mornin', Guardian. What can I do for you?" Banshee said in his usual, gravelly voice.

"Just coming to pick up my rifle I dropped off last night."

"Ah, of course. SUROS model, wasn't it? Damn fine weapon. One second, Bill."

Banshee turned to the weapons locker to his left, and produced a black and red auto rifle from it. The gunsmith put the rifle into a hardshell case, as well as several ammo magazines.

"All set, Guardian. Focused Fire functionality has been restored. I also zeroed your holo-sights for 50 meters as a start, but you can re-zero it up to 75 if you have to. Wouldn't recommend it, though. Damn thing is about as accurate as a potato gun at that range."

"I'll keep that in mind, Banshee. Thanks again, you're the best."

Banshee let out a metallic chuckle. "Tell me something I don't know."

"You're on your 44th body."

"Heh... Wait, really? Son of a..." Bill laughed to himself as he walked away, case in hand.

The next stop for Bill was with Future War Cult's representative, Lakshmi-2. He had collected data on the last patrol that FWC had expressed interest in acquiring. And they were willing to reward handsomely for it.

"Impressive work, Guardian. I'm amazed you were able to convince the Fallen to part with data from Skywatch."

"Well, the Devils like to negotiate at muzzle velocity, but they eventually saw things my way."

"Indeed." The Exo inserted the data drive Bill recovered into a computer, as he watched her hollow blue eyes dart back and forth over the screen. "I don't suppose you were able to move deeper into the Skywatch? There must be a wealth of information in that complex."

"Sorry, that wasn't possible. The Devils had sealed a gate in the first couple of rooms. I debated cracking the seal, but my Ghost advised against it. Besides, we were short on time, and there's no telling what was on the other side of it."

"Very well, Guardian. Since you were able to bring us what we asked for, here is the promised payment. Twenty-five hundred worth of Glimmer, and as a bonus, I want you to take this with you." Lakshmii opened up a supply crate nearby and produced a small handgun, painted in the faction colors, and bearing the FWC's "Sigil of the Coming War" on the grip.

"It's not much, but it could be a reliable sidearm. Please take it, with my thanks."

Bill took the pistol, surprisingly light in hand, and placed it in the weapon case from Banshee. "Thank you, now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my Fireteam."

"Of course, Guardian. Back to the struggle?"

"Is there anywhere else to go, anymore?"


	4. Vanguard Briefing

**Vanguard Briefing**

Dak looked up from his datapad long enough to see Bill enter the Tower mess hall, and wave him over. Kahlee made a brief acknowledgement of his arrival before returning to her cup of tea. Bill poured himself a cup of coffee, or at least what passed for coffee post-Collapse, and sat down with his team.

"Did you finish your errands?" Kahlee asked between sips of tea.

"Just about. Holliday is down in the City today working on some personal project, so those Sparrow mods will have to wait." Bill sniffed his drink, noticeably cringing at the overly bitter aroma, reminding himself that it was better than nothing.

"Hmph… screaming metal deathtraps. All of 'em." Dak was not a fan of Sparrows, only using them when absolutely necessary. In one of his previous "lives", his body was destroyed when his Sparrow malfunctioned and exploded during a mission. His Ghost was able to recover his mind, but the physical body was lost. Dak still carried that memory, and the distrust of the speeder bikes.

"All personal grievances aside, what is next on our agenda?" Vera, Dak's Ghost, fluttered into the room, her jet-black shell glistening with the light coming in through the windows. Bill found her voice quite soothing, yet he couldn't help but wonder how a well-to-do Ghost like Vera ended up choosing a sarcastic, wisecracking Hunter as her Guardian.

 _Stroke of bad luck, maybe, but they still make a good team._ Bill sipped his beverage as he checked his chrono.

"Well, in about fifteen minutes, we have a meeting with the Vanguard to get our next assignment. Word is we won't be staying on Earth for this one, but Zavala wouldn't tell me exactly where we're going."

"Takin' all bets? Where do you guys think?" Dak leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table. "My guess is that they're sending us to Mars, maybe see how the Primus is doing."

Many years ago, the red planet Mars had been taken over by a militaristic society of large, porcine aliens calling themselves the Cabal. They had since blockaded the world and threatened full-scale war against the Guardians if they felt their claim was being imposed upon.

"Doubtful," Kahlee began as she pushed Dak's feet away from her face, sending him crashing to the floor as he fell out of his chair. "While I don't like to gamble, my guess is Venus. The House of Winter has escalated their salvage operations near the Ishtar Collective, and I hear their new Kell is just itching to pick a fight with the City."

Vera's outer shell shook as she imitated a shudder. "I hate the Fallen, so uncivilized."

"Me too, Vera. Still, I believe that would be the most logical destination for us." She swirled her cup of tea, thoughtfully before taking another sip.

Val, Kahlee's Ghost, materialized above the group and floated over to join Vera and Cee.

"Who knows, maybe it's Phobos? The Cabal have a base there, maybe Zavala wants us to ransack it?"

"They already said Cabal, dimwit." Cee chided his fellow Ghost, rolling his "eye" as he spoke.

"Noooo, they said Mars."

"Uh-huh, and who owns Mars these days?"

Val's shell constricted. "Oh… right."

Bill put his hands between the two tiny robots. "That's enough, both of you. Now then, we've wasted enough time, I don't want to keep the Vanguard waiting."

Dak and Kahlee stood, collecting their Ghosts, and Fireteam Orion made their way to the Vanguard chambers.

In the open room, a large conference table sat in the center. Commander Zavala stood at its head, poring over old maps of the City. At the other end of the table, Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard, sat bickering with the head of the Warlocks, Ikora Rey. Cayde seemed to be attempting to convince Ikora that her Warlock research teams in the field would be better off if escorted by his Hunters. Bill overheard something about "Stupid, floofy Warlock jumps," but not much else. They ceased their discussion as the team of Guardians approached the table. Zavala looked up from his maps, and clasped his hand behind his back.

"Guardians. Thank you for joining us. We have a most pressing matter that requires your attention. Cayde?"

The veteran Hunter moved away from Ikora, and produced a small orb from his cloak, placing it on a holo-projector in front of him.

"Okay, so at 1830 last night, just before your patrol radioed in, we intercepted a transmission from the House of Devils. But something was… off. Now we know why." Cayde activated the projector, and a familiar image sprang to life.

"That transmission came from the moon." Cayde motioned to Zavala.

"It would appear that the House of Devils is attempting to drive an as-of-yet unidentified Fallen House off the surface of Luna. How this House got there, we don't know, but they found something up there that has stirred the interest of the Devils as well." Zavala moved around the table to where Cayde was standing. He pressed another button and the image of the Moon was magnified to a single section.

"This is where you'll begin your search, an abandoned helium-3 plant in an area known as the Anchor of Light. Find the Devils, assess the situation, and learn as much as you can about this second House."

Bill examined the holo-map, and turned to his mentor. "Sir, three Guardians isn't enough to wage war against the Devils AND another House of-"

"We are not asking you to wage war, Bill. This is a recon mission. Direct action only when necessary. And if at all possible, find out what it is that these lunar Fallen have discovered."

"Yes, Commander." Bill turned on his heel to leave, but before his friends could follow, Ikora Rey spoke up.

"Wait a minute, Guardians. There is one more thing you must know before you leave."

Bill glanced over his shoulder before turning back to face his superiors.

"The Moon is not as it was before the Collpase. It is an evil place, wrought with danger, and I fear there are older, fouler things than mere Fallen in its chasms."

"Chasms, ma'am?"

"Yes. I offer you this warning, Guardians: On your approach to the Moon, you will see a large chunk of its surface has been chewed away, forming a large rift. If your travels take you by this trench, turn back immediately. For that is an area known as the Hellmouth. And within that pit, pure evil sleeps. An evil that would be unleashed upon our solar system if disturbed." Ikora's eyes seemed to peer right through the team as she continued.

"An evil that we may not be able to stop. Heed my warning, Guardians. Stay away from the Hellmouth. If you discover that the Devils are operating there, abandon your mission, for the being that sleeps in that dead underworld feeds on the Light of the Traveler. It will consume you, and you will be powerless to stop it."

Zavala held up a gloved hand. "Enough, Ikora. You've said too much already. Guardians, your mission will not likely lead you towards the Hellmouth, but be cautious all the same. Regardless of where you are, the Moon is not a friendly place for servants of the Light."

Bill's Ghost shook in mid-air. "This doesn't sound like a very good idea…"

"Calm down, Cee. We're gonna be fine."

 _I hope,_ Bill muttered to himself.

Dak clapped his hands together. "Right. Get in, find the Fallen, and don't get consumed by an ancient evil. When do we leave?"

Zavala collapsed the holographic projection of the Moon. "Immediately."


	5. Final Approach

**Final Approach**

Comms were quiet during the short trip to the Moon. Bill figured his teammates were mentally preparing themselves for the mission.

Bill kept his hands steady on the control yoke. While most Guardians let their Ghosts handle the flying, he much preferred to handle the piloting himself whenever possible. He eased back on the throttle, and began to run scans of their primary TZ, the old accelerator complex nicknamed The Archer's Line.

"Cee, you picking up any outside transmissions?"

The little robot whirred and hummed for a moment, then spun to face his Guardian. "Nothing that I can make any sense of. Mostly getting static from all the open channels. It seems like there's some kind of signal buried behind it, but it's too garbled to decipher. Sorry."

"It's okay, just give me the transmat zone coordinates." Bill checked his display as it pinged the Tower homing beacon in a clearing not far away. He was about to activate his Fireteam channel when alarms began to blare in his cockpit.

"Cee, what's going on?!"

"Two Fallen skiffs, closing fast on us!"

"What?! Where the hell did they come from?"

"I don't know, they bypassed our scanning field somehow!"

Bill tagged his comlink and powered up his ship's weapons. "Guys, we've got Fallen air defenses moving to intercept, get ready!"

Dak's voice filled his ear. "My scope is negative, are you sure?"

"Positive. You should be able to see them now, they're coming in, Point Three-Five. Break formation and engage."

"I see them." Kahlee's ship veered off, a thin, wedge-shaped craft designed for maneuverability, but lacked much of an offensive punch. Kahlee however, was a skilled pilot and knew how to cut through enemy defenses, making up for her fighter's shortcomings.

Dak's ship had bigger engines than both Bill and Kahlee, which gave him an edge in speed, but it was not maneuverable enough to last long in a dogfight. Thankfully, the Fallen skiffs moved like bricks as well, giving Dak a big, slow target to hit.

Bill's ship was fairly well balanced, and he was thankful he had taken the Tower shipwright's advice, and mounted missile launchers on the underside. He kicked his flight stick back, pulling his ship upward, as Arc blasts from the skiff's main guns raked across his path. With quick adjustments from Cee, the nimble craft made it through the barrage unscathed. As he came out of his loop, he saw that Kahlee was drawing plenty of fire from the lead skiff, while Dak came in from above and unleashed a swarm of tiny rockets that peppered the craft with explosions. Fires spouted from the breaches, though they were quickly snuffed out by the vacuum of space. As the lead skiff went down, Bill turned his attention to the remaining ship.

"Cee, find me a soft spot."

"There. Just behind the main gun mount. That's the fuel cell. A well-placed shot will make quite a nice boom!"

Bill waited for his targeting computer's tone to turn solid, and fired a single missile. The projectile tore through the Fallen craft and detonated, a bright orange fireball rained debris down onto the surface.

"Great shooting, guys, but I get the feeling the Fallen might be sending reinforcements."

Vera's voice came onto the comm.

"You would be right. It appears our TZ is compromised."

"What?"

"It would appear that the helium-3 plant where we are supposed to begin our reconnaissance is being heavily reinforced. The Devils must think we are there to take it back from them. Smart, even for Fallen."

"Great. Just great. What else could go wrong? Maybe we'll get lucky, and Valus Ta'aurc has decided to stop by for a visit, too!" Dak's words felt like a bad omen, but Bill shook it off.

"Calm down, don't we have a backup zone?" Kahlee tried her best to soothe her friend.

"Yeah, we'll just have to backtrack a bit, and drop in North of Archer's Line, and make our way to the h3 plant on foot. Maybe we can get the drop on the Devils. And just maybe we can find out what they're searching for. Cee, get those coordinates punched in."

Cee sent out the revised transmat coordinates, and the team moved their ships on course.


	6. The Moon

**The Moon**

As the team passed over their transmat zone, Bill reached over for his helmet and put it on. The seals engaged, and his readout came to life. His ammo counter popped up in the bottom left as it synced up with his weapons. He took a deep breath as the transmat sequence engaged, and in a split second he had boots on the ground. He looked to the sky as his ship veered away, remote piloted to a safe distance by Cee. Dak and Kahlee soon materialized next to him, and as he exhaled, he felt the power of the Void Light that coursed through his body swell. He felt ready for the impending mission.

He reached over his shoulder and drew his rifle, a SUROS model nicknamed "The Regime." It was a very rare make and model, and rather unique in the fact that it possessed a function that delivered more velocity per shot, at the cost of its rate of fire. In this fire mode, rounds that found their mark left gruesome wounds that only the toughest of his enemies could withstand. Cee could also provide him with a shoulder-fire rocket launcher outfitted with the ability to track large targets. Bill also now carried the small handgun given to him by the Future War Cult, though he hoped he wouldn't put himself in a position to be forced to use it.

Dak preferred to engage enemies at long range, and his deadly efficiency had inspired Banshee-44 to gift his fellow Exo a pair of custom weapons. The old gunsmith had given him a powerful sniper rifle with an integrated suppressor, and the rifle's scope was synced to his helmet's heads-up display, allowing him to keep an eye on his motion tracker, even when sighting down on a target. For his sidearm, Banshee had given him a powerful revolver, dubbed "Ace of Spades." The gun itself was not as special as its ammo, however. The rounds were able to detect when they had struck an enemy in a vital area, and rapidly expand in a microsecond. When Dak inquired as to what that meant, Banshee's simple reply was: "aim for the head, get a nice boom." Being the keen eye that he was, Dak also carried a set of throwing knives that he used with deadly accuracy.

Kahlee preferred to let her Light do the fighting for her, mainly relying on a sidearm as her main weapon, while unleashing a fierce amount of Solar energy at close range. But the Earthborn Awoken was no fool. Her backup weapon was a shotgun, one that she had dubbed "The Matador", after stopping a charging Cabal soldier dead in its tracks with one blast at point-blank range. The gun almost never left her side, and it rested on her back as she scanned the ridge through the sights of her pistol.

"Where to, boss?" She asked.

Bill pulled up his nav beacon. "There. Just over that rise. The h3 plant is about a klick and a half Northeast. Let's get walking."

"No Sparrows?" Dak asked, barely able to hide the relief in his voice.

"No Sparrows. We go in quiet. I'd like to be able to see what we're up against without alerting them, if possible."

"Thank the Traveler. You just made my day, Bill."

"The day's still young, buddy. You may not be thanking me later."

"Uh, I believe I thanked the Traveler, actually." Dak nodded his hawk-like helmet towards his friend, and readied his sniper rifle.

"Fair point. Let's move. Keep an eye on your trackers. I'd prefer to avoid being ambushed today."

The path to their mission start point proved uninteresting for the most part, save for the lone Pike patrolling the area. As Bill and Kahlee ducked out of sight, Dak used his enhanced agility and reflexes to move ahead of the lightly armed hoverbike and quietly eliminated its operator. Leaping with amazing speed, he tackled the Dreg rider and dispatched him with a single strike to the throat.

He hid the Pike and it's rider in a nearby cave, and walked back to his team, shaking off the ether dripping from his knife. "Can you smell it?" He asked, looking at Bill.

"Surprisingly, no." Bill cocked his head towards Dak, who held up the knife.

"You want to?"

"Gross. Can we please move on?" Kahlee held up a gloved hand and turned away from the pair.

"By all means." Bill shook his head, laughing under his breath as Dak sheathed the blade and fell in step behind him and Kahlee.

As the winding paths through Archer's Line widened, the team of Guardians got their first real sight of the Fallen. Ducking behind several large rocks, they discovered a sizeable contingent of Devils lurking all over the helium-3 plant.

"Well, I'd say direct action might be necessary here, guys." Dak sighted down his rifle, scanning the building.

"Wait, let's be smart about this. Cee, scan the area, how many hostiles?" Bill held out his hand as the Ghost appeared.

"Looks like we've got a dozen contacts. Can't tell you exactly what their standings are, but I'm getting four non-organic signatures as well. Three of them aren't giving off much power."

"Shanks, most likely. Hate those little buggers." Dak muttered, still looking through his scope. "Which would mean that last energy sig can't be anything else but a Servitor."

"Precisely." Cee nodded at Dak's deduction.

Kahlee frowned underneath her helmet. "If they have a Servitor, they have to have at least a Captain with them, maybe a Baron if the Servitor is big enough. Can't tell without getting a good look at the thing. And no, I'm _not_ volunteering."

Bill sighed. "Well, if it was a Baron, there would be a lot more Fallen than this. Barons usually command a bigger force than this. We've probably got a Captain. My best estimate is we're dealing with four Dregs, three vandals, the three Shanks, the Servitor and the Captain."

"Good bet. I've already eyed a pair of Vandal snipers and three of the Dregs. The last Vandal is probably the Captain's personal bodyguard, likely has a shrapnel gun or shock blades. The Captain probably has whatever his guard isn't using."

Even though they had done this hundreds of time in the past, Bill was still amazed at his team's ability to decipher the makeup and tactics of enemy squads as well as they did.

"Okay then, what's the plan?" Dak asked.

"Where are these two snipers you mentioned?"

"One is about 50 meters up at your 11 o'clock. The other is on top of the plant, in between our 12 and 1."

"Think you can get some high ground and take 'em out?"

"Please… remember who you're talking to."

"Wonderful. Kahlee, can you give me a flare?"

"Of course. Wait, why?"

Bill made eye contact with her through their visors. "I wanna try something stupid."


	7. Trying Something Stupid

**Trying Something Stupid**

"Explain to me again how this is gonna work?"

"Simple. Dak takes out the snipers, you launch your flares, and I'll take care of the rest."

"And you won't tell me what your big idea is?"

"And I won't tell you what my big idea is."

Kahlee stared at him for a moment. "You're gonna die."

"Relax, I'll be fine. Just get ready. Dak, you in position?"

"You know it. Just give the word."

Bill took one more look out from behind his cover. "Kahlee, get those flares ready."

Kahlee began to charge her Solar flares, commonly and incorrectly referred to by other Guardians as "grenades." They were actually pure energy conjured by Warlocks and most frequently used to disorient enemies.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing."

"Seriously, calm down. This is gonna work."

Before Kahlee could offer another rebuke, Bill took off running down the hill behind them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She yelled at him.

"Now, Dak!" Was his only reply.

Kahlee heard the muffled shots from Dak's rifle, and watched the two Vandals fall. Bill's voice filled the comm. "Time for those flares! Launch them now!"

She complied, and propelled two Solar flares over the rock she was using for cover. She watched as the Servitor, followed closely by the Captain, emerged from inside the plant. The Captain's bodyguard pointed to the solar bombs arcing towards them, but before any of them could react, the grenades detonated, large orbs of Solar energy radiated light down onto the enemy squad. The large Fallen and his subordinates all shielded their eyes, and Dak began to pick them off as they were blinded.

Suddenly, Kahlee heard the familiar whine of Bill's Sparrow rushing up behind her, and she swung around to see him whiz past her at top speed. Using a small mound as a ramp, he propelled himself and the swoop bike into the air, a cry of pure joy and adrenaline filling the comm channel.

As Bill reached the peak of his jump, he jumped free of the Sparrow, shouldering the rocket launcher he carried on his back. Firing both of the warheads in the tube, they impacted around the stunned enemies and exploded. The Fallen Captain took one of the missiles at his feet, flying ten meters back and striking a wall. The Servitor was engulfed in flame as it sputtered and shook itself apart, the flammable ether it carried fueling the inferno even more. The Sparrow itself landed on one of the Dregs, exploding on impact. Bill landed in the middle of the carnage, tossing the rocket launcher aside, and drawing his primary weapon. Dak's covering fire took out two of the Shanks, while he dispatched the third, and gunned down the remaining Dregs as they tried to flee.

Bill waved to Dak, signaling him to come down. Dak offered a casual salute in return, and began to make his way back to his team. Kahlee came walking out from behind her cover, shaking her head as she approached. "You are… insane. Do you know that?"

"I get that a lot."

"With good reason. You wrecked your Sparrow AND almost got yourself killed. Did you really think that would work, or were you just winging it?"

Bill shrugged. "Honestly? I thought the whole thing was a crapshoot. Glad it paid off, though."

Val popped to life, and fluttered by Kahlee's left shoulder. "Well, your chances of survival were about sixty-thousand to one, so I'd say 'crapshoot' is an understatement. But it was certainly entertaining, make sure Cee sends me a copy of his visual logs. I want to see that again!"

"Val, please don't encourage him."

"Sorry."

Bill gave a thumbs up. "Don't worry buddy. It's alright. She's just cranky today."

Val's shell spun. "She's always cranky."

Kahlee's stared at her Ghost through her visor. Val's shell stopped rotating. "I'll uh, just… I should go." With that, the Ghost dematerialized. Bill turned towards the plant to recon the area.

Dak cocked his head at Kahlee. "That wasn't very nice."

"Oh, don't give me that. What with the way you treat Vera."

"Hey, I'm just messing around with her. She's a damn fine partner… I just wish she'd loosen up a bit."

Vera expanded her outer shell. "How's this?"

Dak gave her a puzzled look. "That's not what I- oh. I get it." The Exo chuckled. "See, now that's more like it. I said you'd warm up to me sooner or later."

"TEAM! Get over here now! You need to see this!" Bill shouted at the pair. "Double time!"

Dak and Kahlee rushed over to the plant entrance, where Bill stood over the bodies of the Fallen patrol they just eliminated.

"These aren't the Devils. House markings are wrong. I think we found our second faction."

As Dak looked over the bodies, he paused to check out the House markings. "These are like nothing I've ever seen before. No surprise there. But I'm not familiar with Fallen tongues, and unless you guys took a class without me, I'd say neither of you can figure this out, either. Vera, can you shed some light?"

Vera reappeared. She scanned the emblem on the tattered cloth that the dead Dreg bore. Her shell rotated and expanded, then contracted again.

"Anything?"

"Well, Master Rahool doesn't exactly have a Fallen dictionary in his library, but I think I can piece together these words from what little he has collected. I'm not one hundred percent sure of this, but I believe this means… 'Cast-off?' No, wait… 'Exile!"

"Exile?" Dak asked.

"Precisely. As I said, I can't be fully certain, but I believe this faction refers to themselves as the House of Exiles."

"Whoever they are, their tactics are similar to the Devils. Their patrol numbers match that of the Cosmodrome gangs. How else could we have guessed their numbers so well?" Dak gave the dead Dreg a tap with his boot.

Bill retrieved his rocket launcher nearby and Cee transmatted it away. "Doesn't really matter who they are, they must have had access to the computers inside. Let's get in there and see what they found up here that got the Devils willing to go on a road trip."


	8. Inside The Plant

**Inside The Plant**

As the plant's inner airlock engaged, Bill removed his helmet, inhaling the acrid, recycled air. Before the blast door to the facility itself opened, he held out Cee to the door.

"Any hostiles inside?"

"Nothing. That patrol might have just been an advance force. We shouldn't linger here for too long. Their buddies might show up soon and you know… kill us all horribly."

"Agreed. Once we're inside, let's find whatever useful data we can, and then we're getting out of here. Hopefully we can get a good idea of where to go next."

Kahlee took her own helmet off, and nodded to her friend before keying her comm. "Dak, you gonna be okay out there all by yourself?"

"Of course. Might get a bit lonely, but hey, Vera and I can pass the time with old knock-knock jokes."

"Please, no." Vera said, the pain in the little robot's voice was clear and present.

"Oh, I have a good one! Knock kno-" Kahlee shut her comm off to avoid the joke.

"Now THAT is cruelty to Ghosts." She muttered.

"Alright then, let's focus. We've still got a job to do. Cee, open the door." Bill readied his rifle out of habit, and the two Guardians moved into the building. The door shut behind them with a hiss of steam.

The plant seemed to be running on emergency power. The main lights were offline, and dim red backups were the only light sources above them. Cee popped up on his left shoulder and activated the flashlight built into his "eye." Bill also activated the flashlight underneath the barrel of his gun. Kahlee followed suit, and they walked down the hallway until they came into the main production room. Large stills that once contained helium-3 gas stood empty on either side of the room. Several computer terminals were in the center. There were several display screens on the walls, flickering messages in pre-Golden Age Chinese. Val's language program translated what little of the scrolling text was still legible, some kind of emergency message.

"Cee, find out if any of these computers are still functioning, and get us in." He scanned the room. "That one there looks like the best bet. That's Fallen tech attached to it." Bill pointed to a terminal behind a shattered glass window.

"Hmm, looks like this was the foreman's office. I'll see what I can pull from the banks. Cee floated through the broken window, while Bill bashed in the door lock to get inside the room himself. Cee began to scan the ancient terminal.

"I've got signs of life in this thing. Looks like these Exiles managed to get in. Let's see what they were looking for…"

Bill scanned the room through the sights of his rifle. He couldn't help but feel as though something was amiss. He heard Cee reciting back what he had found.

"…and it looks like there's some kind of seal, or crest in these files. Is it… no, no it couldn't be…"

"What did you find, Cee?"

"This." A symbol appeared on the screen, what appeared to be a winged diamond.

"What am I looking at?"

"Rasputin. Or at least, his mark."

"Who?"

Cee turned from the monitor. "A legend among artificial constructs. A Warmind. I thought for sure he had been destroyed centuries ago. All Ghosts know the tale."

"Why haven't I ever heard of him?"

"You wouldn't have. The Vanguard have been trying to keep him a secret for years. Back in the early days of the City, young Guardians often went out in search of him, eager to find something to drive back this Darkness. None of them ever came back. Eventually, Zavala buried all knowledge of Rasputin, but since he has no control over what Ghosts know or are able to find, he has been instructing us to be well-versed on Rasputin, and to inform Guardians about him on a need-to-know basis. And right now, it looks like you need to know."

"Right then. What do the Fallen want with him?"

"Well, from the look of things here, the Fallen aren't exactly looking for him. They appear to be looking for something that can _destroy_ him."

"Didn't you say he was already dead?"

"It looks like I'm wrong."

"Well, then how did the Devils get involved?"

"It would appear that the Devils discovered the Exiles intent to destroy Rasputin, and launched their own counteroffensive. See here? The Exiles intercepted Devil transmissions, direct orders from their Kell to stop the Exiles and attempt to claim Rasputin, or whatever they found up here, and use that against the City."

Bill shivered at the thought. "Well, neither option is preferable, but we do have a choice here. Do we find the Devils, or pick up the trail of these Exiles?"

Before Cee could respond, Dak's voice came through the radio. "Guys! I've got more Fallen, incoming. A Pike scout discovered our position, I neutralized him, but Vera says he managed to get a message back to wherever he came from. Looks like he was from the same group as our new friends here!"

Bill put his helmet back on. "Copy that. Hold your position and give us some covering fire. We're on our way out now!"


	9. Fallen Retaliation

**Fallen Retaliation**

"Stupid bastards. You think they'd learn to stop sticking their noses where it hurts." Dak muttered to Vera as two more shots found their mark. The high ground where he made his perch gave him a superior sightline at the mouth of the canyon the Fallen kept coming in from. They had Pikes, but could only send them in one at a time due to the narrow opening. Their ground units did not fare much better, getting bottlenecked as soon as they entered the Anchor of Light. The experienced Hunter had little difficulty picking off the hapless Dregs as they funneled right into his sniper scope.

"You guys doing okay down there?" He asked, glancing down towards Bill and Kahlee's position on the second level of the plant.

"Never better. They're hardly getting through to us." Bill said between bursts from his rifle.

"We shouldn't waste too much time here, though. The Devils could be closing in on what we're looking for."

"Kahlee's right. Gonna try and find us an exit route. You're gonna be without cover fire for a minute." Dak swung his rifle around 180 degrees and scanned the area behind a large disc-shaped building just in front of the h3 facility.

"Vera, what do you think about that? We break for that pass?"

"Doubtful. There was heavy Devil activity in that area on my last scan. And that area isn't as defensible as here. We'd be slaughtered."

"Dammit. Okay, what if we go the way these morons are coming in from?"

"Are you mad?! That's certain death!"

"Not quite. Look at the map of that area, that canyon is so narrow, the Fallen numbers won't do them any good in there. We just take 'em on one by one all the way to the other side."

"Maybe, but… Dak, that might take us too close to the Hellmouth."

"I don't really see any other alternatives."

Vera fluttered for a moment. "Hmmm, statistically, it could work. We have about a 63% chance of- BEHIND YOU!"

Dak whipped back around ducked just in time to avoid the swinging shock sword of a Fallen Baroness. He leapt backwards, and the Baroness shrieked at him in her strange tongue.

He tossed his rifle aside and drew his hand cannon. Unsheathing his knife with his left hand, Dak snapped off a shot that bounced off the Baroness' shields, the Arc bubble swirled around her like a vortex.

 _Gonna have to do this the hard way,_ he thought to himself as he threw his knife at her midsection. He missed his mark, but the blade found its way into one of her lower arms. The Fallen major howled in pain as she charged at him, and she landed a punch to his head with the other of her lower appendages. Dak fell backwards, sliding down the hill on his back, firing as he slid. He saw the Arc shield around her flicker and then it dropped with a _hiss-crack_.

"Vera! Give me Golden Gun, now!"

"On it! Charged!"

Dak's hand cannon was suddenly wreathed in flame, and he felt the Solar energy surge up his arm, and lining up his target, he unleashed a single massive shot, striking the Baroness in the heart. The impact site glowed as the large pirate staggered forward, and the orange flame spread outward from the wound. Then, as the Baroness began to disintegrate, she exploded in a ball of Solar energy.

Dak reached the bottom of the slope and jumped to his feet. Vera sent his sniper rifle back into his hands via transmat, and he looked up at the charred spot where his enemy fell.

"Well, that could have been worse." He keyed his comlink. "Guys, I've got a plan. But… you're probably not gonna like it very much."

"Can't be much worse than the current situation, though the Exiles numbers seem to be getting fewer. They could be backing off." Bill ejected his magazine, but he felt no more spares on his belt.

"Dammit. Cee, can you get me some more ammo?"

"I can't reach the ship! Something is blocking our long-range transmat and comms."

"Is it the Fallen?"

"No, this is something else. I can't pinpoint it. But I also can't bring in ammo! We're down to short range comms and transmat only!"

Before Bill could look for ammo crates lying around, he noticed the Fallen had made their way to the second level. Tapping Kahlee on the shoulder, they turned to the ramp at their right. Drawing his new sidearm, Bill took aim and fired several shots at the closing Dregs. He was impressed at the punch carried by the small pistol. Kahlee's shotgun rang out with several sharp reports, but the Dregs kept coming closer.

"Heads up! We've got Devils incoming!" Cee shouted. Bill turned to see three Skiffs bearing Devils colors flying in from over the ridge.

"Dak! Take cover where you can! Kahlee, get close to me!" Bill summoned the built-up Void energy inside him, and just before the Skiffs opened fire, Bill cast his Ward of Dawn around himself and his partner. The Void bubble hummed as it accepted incoming fire, holding fast against the Skiff guns. The Exiles around the shield were not as fortunate. The rain of fire and bombs dropped from the crafts leveled all of the opposition against them as they also dropped ground troops to chase off the stragglers.

A Devil Captain took a glance at the two Guardians inside the domed shield, and held up a hand to stop his forces from advancing on it. Kahlee loaded her shotgun and pumped it regardless.

After a brief standoff, the Captain barked at his subordinates, and they were pulled back into the lead Skiff. As the three ships departed, Bill lowered the Ward.

"They saved us." Kahlee watched as the ships faded from view.

"No, they just couldn't kill us. We got lucky."

Dak slid down the steep incline ahead of the plant, landing at the base. "But at least now we can follow those Exiles."

"We were ordered to stay out of that area. That's the Hellmouth." Bill replied.

"But we also can't radio our ships to get out of here. We also can't call in the two Sparrows that you haven't blown up yet. And according to Vera, whatever is blocking our signal is down that way. Unless you've got a better idea, I say we go play catch-up to those bastards."

Bill frowned behind his helmet. "I don't, actually. Fine. We'll do it your way."

Dak clapped his hands. "Yes! I love it when I win!"

Bill held up a hand. "But you have to take point."

"That's not fair. I have a sniper rifle."

"So?"

Dak was silent for a moment. "When's the last time you were able to use a sniper in a narrow, snaking canyon?"

"Well, then you better ask Kahlee if you can borrow the Matador."

Dak shook his head. "You've got to be freakin' kidding me."

"And Dak…"

"What?"

"Ask nicely."


	10. The Hellmouth

**A/N: Big thanks to my friend xXCShepardXx for letting me mention Xanthe and Oniks in this chapter (And go check out A Hunter's Tale - Feron on her page)!**

 **The Hellmouth**

"This is an insult to Hunters everywhere." Dak held Kahlee's shotgun as though it were a wriggling monster.

"Oh come on, don't Bladedancers use shotguns sometimes?" Kahlee chided.

"Yes, they do. And I don't like Bladedancers. Bunch of posers."

Bill sputtered laughing. "Posers?! Didn't a 'Dancer save your sorry hide once?"

"Xanthe, yes. But that doesn't count, that crazy sister of hers was there, too."

"Ooh, if Oniks heard you call her crazy, you'd probably need a new body and a memory wipe."

Dak chuckled. "Yeah, she's nuts. Anyway, we're coming up on the other end of this pass."

Val flew in front of the group. "Wait a minute, I'm not getting a good reading on that area. That jamming signal is getting stronger every meter we go forward. We should proceed with caution."

"Sounds like we've got our dark zone." Bill said.

"You got that right. Who knows what's happening around this bend?" Cee looked back at his Guardian.

Bill flipped the safety off of his rifle, and motioned with his hand to move forward. As they rounded the corner, the path gradually widened into a large, open area. At the center of it, the large pit spoken of by Ikora. Bill's body went cold as he sensed the Darkness flowing through this area. But while his gut told him something was watching him, his eyes refused to believe the same thing.

"Nothing. There's no one here. This is where all those Exiles came from, this area should be lousy with them."

"Lunch break, maybe?" Dak asked as he tossed Kahlee's shotgun back to her, thankful to be rid of it.

"Who knows? But I don't like this. Let's split up, get a good recon of this place, and maybe find a place to camp tonight. But stay away from that pit. I'd rather not piss off an ancient evil tonight."

As the three Guardians split, Bill summoned Cee to his side.

"What can I do for you?"

"I want your take on this. What do you think we're up against?"

Cee's shell tightened up to his eye. "Honestly? I'm at a loss. For the first time, I've got nothing for you. Whatever has us blacked out is more powerful than anything in the Cryptarch's library."

"Could it be Rasputin?"

"Doubtful. Based on what I can pull from the information Zavala gave to the Ghosts, there are no known Warmind bunkers on the Moon. And the signal that's being used doesn't match any of the frequencies used by Rasputin. I have no knowledge of this signal. Completely unidentified. I can't match it to any known patter-"

Bill held up a hand to stop his companion as he knelt by a set of tracks. "These are definitely Vandal tracks. These aren't that old, maybe from a few hours ago." Bill examined the impression left in the lunar dust, and followed them up a small incline and towards a narrow crack in the crater wall ahead of him, barely big enough for a Guardian to pass through. Inside of the crater, there was another set of buildings, long deserted and left frozen in time. The lettering on the sides was in a language he had not seen in ages.

"Is that... French?"

Cee scanned the side of the building. "Yep. From the looks of it, this facility was built and abandoned during the Golden Age, just before the Collapse. I can't get much of a reading, but the computers inside this building are all dead. Which is odd, considering that pre-Golden Chinese h3 plant still had power to spare."

"That is strange. Is something draining all the power from these structures?"

Cee bobbed up and down. "I can't tell, my scans are being limited, and that jamming signal is stronger than ever."

Bill followed the Vandal's tracks all the way up to where it lay dead. It appeared to have been on patrol when it was shot in the back. Judging by the placement of the wounds on the unfortunate Vandal, and by the way it fell, his best guess was that its assailant had attacked from high elevation with a pulse rifle. As he checked the area around it, he noticed a second set of tracks leading up to, and then away from the corpse. They were not Fallen, but human. Or at the very least, a bipedal humanoid.

"Cee, any Guardian activity here prior to our arrival?"

"No recent Fireteam missions or solo Guardian patrols on record."

"I don't like that. This is a fresh kill."

Bill activated his comm, but received only static. He rotated his squad channels, to the same result.

"Dammit, now we don't even have short range. Cee, can you prep one of my grenades? And do me a favor, make it Solar."

"Sure thing." Cee materialized the glowing orb into Bill's hands, and winding up as hard as he could, he threw the makeshift flare into the air. It exploded a few seconds later, casting a giant glowing ball of fire above his position. He sat down to wait for his teammates to arrive.

After a few minutes, Kahlee and Dak both shimmied their way through the crack in the crater.

"You know, the inventor of the radio is probably spinning in his grave right now." Dak said as he walked up to Bill.

"Short range is dead now. You must have found that out."

"Well, yeah. But I can never pass up a chance to ruffle feathers."

Kahlee lightly pushed the Hunter out of her way. "What is this place?"

Bill looked around for a moment. "Some kind of French complex. Long abandoned, more recent than that Chinese building, but no power signatures on any of the electronics. If you'll recall, the computers still worked in the first structure."

"That's more than just a coincidence. We should make camp here."

"No," Bill began. "There's a dead Vandal about 20 meters away, behind that building. My best guess is that he was killed less than a few hours ago. And whatever killed him wasn't Fallen, but it was also no Guardian. This area is being watched."

Dak shrugged. "Options?"

"I say we double back out of here, and seek shelter underneath that rock bridge where we entered from. Take cover in the rocks, get some rest, and rotate watch."

Kahlee nodded. "It's better than camping out in the open."

One by one, the Guardians edged their way out of the crater.


	11. Houses At War

**A/N: Just to be on the safe side, decided to bump the rating up to Fiction-M.**

 **Houses At War**

The Moon's eerie calm was unsettling to Bill as he stood watch over his friends. Several hours had passed, and there had been no activity in their area since their arrival. Bill sighed, staring out into the distance. Even through his suit, he could feel the cold washing over him. Part of him wished they had heeded the words of the Vanguard, and avoided this place altogether. But whatever their objective was, it was close by. He had to see this through.

"Need some company?" Dak's voice came from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at his old friend.

"Trouble sleeping?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, no. Still not grasping the whole 'I'm a robot' concept yet?"

"I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. But if you're up for a chat, I'm all ears."

Dak took a seat on a rock across from the stone column Bill leaned against.

"Actually, there's something I've always wanted to ask of you: what is it you used to do? You know, before re-birth? We both know Kahlee's story, and I can't remember anything of my past lives, but we never got your tale."

Bill folded his arms across his chest. "Well, none of us ever really know the whole story. That's the catch to being a Guardian, you have to leave everything behind."

"You must remember something. How you died? Where you lived? How long ago?"

"I'm not exactly sure about what I did, but I must have been a soldier of some kind. I remember a battle. A really big battle. I don't know against who, those details are fuzzy. But I can remember where I was. I was in the Northeastern region of what used to be the United States. Most likely during the Collapse, everything around us was long decayed and crumbling."

"Do you know where you were exactly?"

"I can't remember the name of the city, but I was in an old sports stadium. Whatever kind of field it was, it had long since been torn up and ravaged by war. The last thing I remember were waves of enemies, pouring over the massive green wall to my left. They were humanoid, I remember that much. There was a blinding flash, and a searing pain in my chest, and then the next thing I know, Cee is floating above me, telling me to wake up."

As if on cue, Cee moved into view. "I searched a long time for you. There were many other bodies in that park, but you were the only one the Light called out to."

"Well, despite everything you got me into, I'm glad you found me, buddy."

"Anytime, Guardian."

Kahlee roused from her light sleep during the conversation, and walked over to join her friends.

"Well, seeing as we're all awake, what's the next move?" She asked.

"I don't quite know, but I'm still certain of the fact that something-or someone- is watching us."

"And let me guess, you don't like it." Dak said.

Bill nodded. "Right on the money."

"Hold up, do you hear that?" Val asked.

"No," Kahlee replied.

"Not you guys," Val turned to his fellow Ghosts. "You. Do you hear it?"

Cee looked around several times, fluttering and spinning his shell. "Hear what?"

Val flew off in a direction away from the camp. "This way. I hear something through the static. It sounds like French, it's some kind of automated message. It's too garbled to make out."

"Wait, if you can pick that up, is it possible the Fallen have heard it too?"

"It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility." Val admitted.

"Oh no…"

No sooner had Bill finished speaking, two Devil skiffs came flying over the horizon and dumped troops down to the surface. The Fallen started to fan out and search the area. The three Guardians ducked out of sight.

"Dammit, what do we do now? Ammo is limited, and we're outnumbered." Kahlee said, drawing her pistol.

"We've got bigger problems." Vera said.

"Hit me."

"I've just picked up an energy surge at this location. The pattern can only be one thing: A Fallen transmat zone." Within seconds, the ground beneath their feet glowed blue, forcing the Guardians to scatter as Exiles materialized in their shelter, firing as they exited the lair.

Bill jumped clear of a Captain charging at him, though he noticed the Exiles seemed to be more focused on the Devils than the Guardians. The leader of the Devils caught sight of their rival House, and bellowed orders to his minions. And in a matter of seconds, a massive battle raged around the three Guardians.

Bill switched his rifle to Focused Fire mode to conserve what little ammo he had been able to recover from the French complex, and began to line up shots on the Fallen all around him.

Dak tackled a Vandal as it rushed toward him, sword raised. He drove a knife into its throat before pulling it out and throwing at another melee Vandal, striking it between the eyes. He spun 180 degrees, drawing his hand cannon as his cloak furrowed around him. Snapping the hammer back, he fired a shot that struck the head of a Dreg, and the round exploded, killing two more Dregs unfortunate enough to be close by. He backpedaled towards his teammates, firing a few more shots.

The battle continued to rage around the three Guardians, and while the two factions seemed content to kill each other, the team did not feel ignored. They took cover behind a large crop of rocks as more Devil Skiffs flew into the area.

"If two Fallen Houses decided to have a good ol' fashioned beat 'em up on _my_ doorstep, I probably would have noticed by now!" Dak said, motioning toward the Hellmouth pit. "Whatever that ancient evil is, it's a heavy sleeper!"

"Either way, I'd rather not be around if it decides to get us off its lawn! We need to get out of here!" Bill shouted, emptying the mag on his rifle.

Kahlee flinched as a shock bolt shattered a chunk of their rock barricade just inches from her head. "How?! We're pinned down!"

As Bill contemplated their situation, a jarring explosion shook the area, sending Fallen bodies flying, and forcing the survivors to leap for cover. Looking to his right, he saw a female figure standing on the cliff above them, an explosives detonator in her hand. She hit the button again, and another explosion rocked the land. She jumped from the cliff in a somersault, and as she landed, a strange yellow rifle appeared in her hands from out of nowhere. She ran towards the staggered Fallen, firing as she ran. A Captain tried to cut her off, but she swiftly tripped him up with a sweep of her leg and dispatched him.

The three Guardians were stunned by how fast she moved, and she carved through the Fallen ranks with ease. She tossed a small disc that stuck to the helmet of another Captain, and it unleashed a web of lightning that left the large Fallen howling in pain as it crumpled to the ground.

Turning to the three, they saw her face from under her tattered hood. An Exo, with a white face and blue eyes. She pointed to the small crack that led to the French facility.

"Guardians! What you seek is behind a bunker door in Building Three! GO! I will hold off this rabble!" She pulled the detonator from her cloak again, and blew the narrow pass wide open, enough for the three of them to fit through with ease.

"Seal the door behind you, so they cannot follow!"

"Who are you?" Bill asked.

"There's no time! You need to get to her before they do!"

"Get to who?!" Bill asked again as they turned to run.

"RUN!" The strange woman yelled as a Skiff dropped an assault Walker into the area. Bill sprinted through the gap, and they searched frantically for Building Three.

"Cee! Where do we go?"

"There! That one, on the ridge! The door is unlocked, let's go!"

As the Guardians made it inside, the three Ghosts worked together to decipher the codes needed to seal the door, as per the Exo's orders.

"Well… now what?" Val asked once the door panel turned green.

Bill activated his light and began walking down the corridor. "We complete our mission."


	12. The Voice of the Moon

**A/N: Sorry that this took so long to post. Some important music stuff happened over the past few weeks, and I also sort of lost my muse for a bit in that process. But the good news is that this story is done, and there will be two more chapters before I mark this shit "Complete!" Thanks to any and all who have taken the time to make it this far, and I hope you enjoy the rest of this story!**

As the team moved cautiously through the darkened complex, they could no longer hear the muffled sounds of the battle outside. Bill's head was on a swivel, checking the empty halls to their left and right. Dim emergency lights provided little compliment to their flashlights. Faded French text adorned the walls, giving directions from place to place. While Bill couldn't precisely understand the language, he was able to figure out how to get closer to the center of the compound.

"While we're here, let's try and gather as much info as we can. Spread out and check out some of these rooms. Bill broke off from the others and swept his flashlight across what looked like living quarters. In one of the corners, a dead body leaned up against a bunk, frozen in time and perfectly preserved with no sign of decomposition. He didn't need Cee to tell him that there was no oxygen to speak of in the facility.

As he examined the body, Bill discovered all too familiar wounds on the body's torso. His blood ran cold.

"Cee, ballistics trauma. Analysis?" Cee ran his sensor cone over the corpse, focusing on the impact wounds.

"What do you think? Was this done by human or Fallen weapons?"

"Neither. This was done with some kind of energy weapon, more advanced than anything I've ever seen before. This is bad. And I think it's getting worse."

"How?"

"I'm detecting massive power fluctuations from the center of the complex. Whatever's in here, it's turning itself on." No sooner had Cee finished speaking, the main lights flashed to life. Bill sprang to his feet, rifle in hand.

"What happened?! What did you touch, Dak?" Kahlee said over the comm.

"It wasn't my fault!" Dak replied."

A static squelch filled the speakers of the base, followed by a female voice.

 ** _"_** ** _Entrée non autorisée détectée. Niveau une défense_** ** _activées._** **"**

"Cee, what is she saying?" Bill aimed his rifle towards the door.

"I… think the defense systems just came online."

"What kind of defenses?"

"Multiple smaller power signatures detected. Most likely drones, and 98% probability they use the advanced energy weapon that killed our friend here." Cee motioned his 'eye' toward the corpse in the corner. "I would get ready for a fight, I've got several bogeys coming our way."

Bill switched fire modes on his weapon, and sighted down the barrel as he heard the whirring noise of the drones draw closer.

"Guys, make your way back to me, we need to find the core of this place. Find out whoever's behind all this. Be ready for a fight, these sentries are packing some serious firepower."

He never heard Dak's reply, as two floating robots slid into the room and opened fire. Streaks of red energy sliced through the air as Bill jumped to his right and through an open door. He found himself in another bunk room. Rolling as he hit the ground, he took cover behind a crumbling desk. The drones were not far behind, not relenting on their overwhelming fire on the Guardian's cover.

As the searing bolts continued to lance through his barricade, he pulled one of the grenades off his belt, and charged it. Tossing it over his head, it sailed in an arc and landed in the middle of the two robots. The grenade exploded in a purple Void detonation, disintegrating the drones instantly. He mantled over the desk, and ran out the door back into the corridor. As he rounded the next bend, another drone blared a warning. Bill fired three times, the high-powered round shredding their target.

He continued his push down the faded grey hall, noticing that the drones were no longer ambushing him from in front, but from behind.

"Guys, what's your status? I'm back in the main corridor. These things have changed their strategy. I think they're…"

As the hall widened into a large room, he found Dak and Kahlee, a large array of computers and data lines ahead of them, and half a dozen drones behind them. As Bill turned around, he saw the drones behind him blocking the exit.

"…herding us," he finished.

He braced for the end, but the drones did not fire. Their glowing photoreceptors narrowed as they appeared to be lining up shots. He turned to look at the giant computer in the center of the room. A screen projected a massive sphere that appeared to be made of datastreams, and several monitors projected a strange emblem, a pale blue circle with a red diamond in its center. He then heard the female voice again, and the sphere in the center of the structure moved with the voice.

 ** _"_** ** _Vous ... Vous n'êtes pas Tombés."_**

"Translation, Cee?" Bill asked.

"She said 'You are not Fallen.'"

"She?" Dak began. "This isn't Rasputin? I thought that's who we were-"

 ** _"_** ** _Ne m'insulte pas! Je ne suis pas Raspoutine! Qui es-tu? Parler!"_** The computer's simulated voice rose in anger.

"What did she say?!" Bill said as he raised his rifle instinctively, prompting an alarm from the drones.

"I think you mad her mad. She wants to know who we are."

Bill took a step forward, hearing the sound of the drones charging their weapons behind him.

"My name is Bill. We are Guardians from Earth."

 **{A/N: From here on out, I'm just going to provide the translation in brackets, so I don't have to keep making Cee translate every time.}**

 ** _"Ah, serviteurs du Voyageur. Croyez-vous que cela vous donne le droit d' empiéter?"_** [Ah, servants of the Traveler. Do you believe this gives you the right to trespass?]

"We are not trespassing. We were forced in here by the Fallen." Bill scanned the room they were in, marveling at the massive construct before him. "Are you a Warmind?"

 ** _"_** ** _Non, je suis ... autre chose. S'il vous plaît, pardonnez-moi."_** [No, I am… something else. Please, forgive me.] The eyes of the security drones turned from red to green, and they floated away.

 ** _"_** ** _J'ai besoin de votre aide, serviteurs de la Lumière."_** [I need your help, servants of Light.]

Dak took a step back. "First things first, I know I'm not the only one with questions. Mind if we ask a few?"

 ** _"_** ** _Nous sommes à court de temps, mais je vais lui permettre. Mais s'il vous plaît, soyez bref."_** [We are short on time, but I will allow it. But please, be brief.]

"Okay then," Kahlee said, "Let's start with something simple. If you're not a Warmind, what are you?"

 ** _"_** ** _Tout comme vous, je suis aussi un gardien. Mais je ne garderai pas contre les Ténèbres, j'ai été créé pour tuer les Esprits de Guerre._** ** _"_** [Much like you, I am a guardian. But I do not guard against the Darkness, I was created to kill the Warminds.]

"What? How is that possible?" Bill exclaimed.

 ** _"Mes créateurs mis en place cette installation secrète comme un failsafe il y a longtemps, comme une mesure de dernier recours pour contrer les Esprits de la Guerre. Le gouvernement Français n'a pas confiance dans l'initiative Guerre Esprit et voulait être en mesure de tenir en échec si elles deviennent trop puissants."_** [My creators set up this secret installation as a failsafe long ago, as a last resort measure to counteract the War Minds. The French government did not trust in the War Mind initiative, and wanted to be able to keep it in check should they become too powerful.]

"Well, what went wrong?"

 ** _"_** ** _Ils étaient trop successful."_** [They were too successful.]

The construct proceeded to explain that as she took shape, she became all-too aware of her limitless potential, and came to the conclusion that her creators did not realize what could become of her if she fell into the wrong hands. She could not allow that to happen, knowing her power was too dangerous to be used, even if her intentions were good. While Warminds like Rasputin did in fact pose a large threat to any who crossed him, she was more powerful. Not being able to foresee the future, she determined it was best if she did not exist, but since she could not self-terminate, the only option was to disappear from history.

"So that's why you killed your creators. They wouldn't allow you to shut down."

 ** _"_** ** _Oui, aussi malheureux que cela puisse paraître. Je n'avais pas d'autre choix que de créer ces drones sentinelles._** [Yes, as unfortunate as it sounds. They were unable to see the true scope of what they had done to me. I had no alternative but to create these sentry drones.]

Bill rose from a chair he had been sitting in. "So what's our next move? Obviously we can't let the Fallen get to you, is there any way you can deal with them?"

 ** _"_** ** _Je ne peux pas. La puissance je brandis est trop grande. Je suis trop peur de ce que je pourrais devenir si j'apporter mes principaux réacteurs après tout ce temps."_** [I cannot. The power I wield is too great. I am too afraid of what I might become if I bring my main reactors after all this time.]

"You're afraid you might not be able to stop yourself afterward."

 ** _"_** ** _Oui."_**

"Well, we can't walk back out there, and we certainly can't leave you here for them to find. The Fallen are crafty, they won't give up until they find some way to control you."

 ** _"Vous ne devez pas permettre que cela se produise, les Tuteurs. Je suis trop dangereux pour être autorisé à rester fonctionnel. Vous devez me détruire."_** [You must not allow that to happen, Guardians. I am too dangerous to be allowed to remain functional. You must destroy me.]

Bill hesitated. He knew that she was right, but the pit in his stomach grew.

"There's no other way?" Kahlee asked.

 ** _"_** ** _Non, je suis un observateur silencieux sur cette Lune pendant une longue période, et il y a quelque chose de bien pire que Tombé à proximité. Il pervertit tout ce qu'elle englobe, et il pourrait facilement asservir moi, et la prochaine fois que vous me voyez, Gardiens ... Je ne veuille pas que tu me arrêter. Cela doit se produire, et il doit être maintenant."_** [No. I have been a silent observer on this Moon for a long time, and there is something far worse than Fallen nearby. It perverts all it encompasses, and it could easily enslave me, and the next time you see me, Guardians… I may not want you to stop me. This must happen, and it has to be now.]

Dak shrugged. "Alright then, how do we go about it?"

 ** _"Il y a plusieurs points faibles structurels le long des lignes de refroidissement au noyau principal de ce bâtiment. Si vos petits lumières peuvent les trouver, vous devriez être en mesure de les endommager avec tirs d'armes légères."_** [There are several structural weakpoints along the cooling lines to the main core of this building. If your little Lights can find them, you should be able to damage them with small arms fire.]

"What did she just call me? 'Little Light?' I resent that!" Cee complained.

"Calm down, just do as she says. Scan those pipes, find us a soft spot."

"Fine, whatever." Cee and the other Ghosts flew off to complete their task.

 ** _"Si vous avez d'autres questions, maintenant serait le temps de leur demander."_** [If you have any more questions, now would be the time to ask them.]

Bill's heads-up display highlighted the Ghost's findings. "I have three. First, can you give us any information on the Fallen House of Exiles? And can you tell us anything about whatever is living in that pit?"

 ** _"Bien sûr. Je vais transférer toutes les données pertinentes à l'une des bornes dans cette salle. Vous pouvez le récupérer à emporter avec vous. Et votre dernière question?"_** [Of course. I will transfer all relevant data to one of the terminals in this room. You may retrieve it to take with you. And your last question?]

"Do you have a name?"

There was a long pause as Bill walked to the lighted terminal to download the data offered to him.

 ** _"On ne m'a jamais donné une désignation officielle. Mais dans les premières étapes de ma création, je me souviens de la tête de ce projet en disant que je devais être autre chose. Pas une arme imparable de la guerre. Un protecteur. Une lumière dans l'obscurité. La voix de la Lune_**. ** _"_** [I have never been given a formal designation. But in the early stages of my creation, I remember the head of this project saying I was to be something else. Not an unstoppable weapon of war. A protector. A light in the dark. The voice of the Moon.]

Bill smiled beneath his helmet. "Then that's how I'll make sure you are remembered, La Voix."

 ** _"Je vous remercie, Gardiens. Je suppose qu'il est temps de dire nos adieux. Puissiez-vous continuer à faire le voyageur fier."_** [Thank you, Guardians. I suppose it is time to say our farewells. May you continue to make the Traveler proud.]

Before Bill could respond, a distant explosion echoed through the halls.

"What was that?" Kahlee spun around.

"The Exiles have breached the door," Vera said. "I'm not seeing any sign of the Devils outside. The Exiles either killed them or drove them away."

"And now they're coming for her." Dak said, raising his sniper rifle.

 ** _"_** ** _Nous sommes hors du temps! Vous devez endommager mon noyau principal, ainsi que les lignes de liquide de refroidissement ! Ce bâtiment doit être détruit!_** ** _"_**

[We are out of time! You must damage my main core, as well as the coolant lines! This building must be destroyed!]

"How? There's at least a meter of armor plating around it." Bill said.

"Explosives are always an option. Make it quick. Hostiles closing in." Dak opened fire down the hallway.

"I'll need to retrieve my launcher. La Voix, can you shut off the jamming signal around this place?"

 ** _"_** ** _Oui, un instant ... Signal est déconnecté ! Accélère s'il te plaît!"_** [Yes, one moment… Signal is offline! Please, hurry!]

"Cee! Get me those rockets!"

"Got it!" The launcher materialized in Bill's hands, and he took aim at the weak point marked by his Ghost.

"Kahlee, take out the coolant! Dak, keep us covered!"

 ** _"_** ** _Je vais déployer les drones pour vous acheter un certain temps. Merci encore Gardiens, et au revoir."_** [I will deploy the drones to buy you some time. Thank you again Guardians, and goodbye.]

Kahlee's Solar flares struck the two main lines, followed by shots from her pistol. Bill squeezed the launcher's trigger. The warhead punched through the steel that surrounded the core, and detonated. Alarms blared as the main lights were snuffed out. Bill dropped the launcher and raised his rifle. He fired at the Fallen pouring in through the door. Muzzle flashes blazed, the only source of light in the room. In his peripheral vision, he could see La Voix's image flutter and spring to life one last time. Her voice warbled and faded in and out.

 ** _"_** ** _Il est temps... de quitter, Gardiens. Mes niveaux de puissance sont en baisse. Le noyau a été déstabilisé. Détonation imminente... mais je ferai de mon mieux pour retarder aussi longtemps que je peux... sortir d'ici."_** [It is time… to leave, Guardians. My power levels are dropping. The core has been destabilized. Detonation imminent… but I will do my best to delay it for as long as I can… get out of here.]

"You heard her. Let's get the hell out of here!" Before Bill could turn back to his team, a sharp pain struck him, he screamed as he looked down to see a Fallen shock sword piercing his left shoulder. The Captain pulled the sword out and kicked him to the ground. His rifle clattered across the metal floor. The Captain laughed and hurled insults in his twisted tongue as he circled the wounded Titan. Bill rolled onto his back, drawing his pistol, and fired several rounds into the monstrous creature. While his shield absorbed the shots, they had the desired effect of causing the Captain to reel back, where Kahlee jammed her shotgun into the small of his back and fired. Ether sprayed from the exit wound and vaporized in the heat of the raging fires around them. The Fallen leader crumpled to the ground, and Dak helped Bill to his feet.

"This isn't good. The wound is survivable, but your suit is punctured."

Kahlee stood beside her friends. "Can we transmat out of here?" Another secondary explosion rocked the building.

"No, the ships are still out of range, it's a wonder I could get him the launcher." Cee said.

"Don't worry, my shields will hold off the vacuum long enough for us to get to the extraction zone for transmat. Let's go!" Bill clutched his shoulder as he ran for the door.

Dak and Kahlee followed close behind, La Voix's drones creating a clear path to the exit for them. The main door had been blown open by the Fallen, and the three of them sprinted through the opening and out of the crater just in time.

The bunker went up in a fireball, the shockwave sent debris in all directions, the vacuum of space freezing the molten steel into unstoppable flying projectiles. The three Guardians took cover in their rock shelter from the previous night.

When the rain of metal slowed up enough, the team emerged from the overhang and surveyed the area. The entrance to the facility remained mostly intact, but there was a brand new crater about a hundred meters away. Bill patted Dak on the shoulder using his good arm, before clutching his bad side.

"Cee, can you help me patch this up?"

"It would be my genuine pleasure, Bill." His Ghost hovered in front of the wound, reconstructing the chest plate over it.

"I also gave you some mild pain management. Should keep you awake until we get back to the City."

As if on cue, Zavala's voice filled their ears, his tone unmistakably angry.

"Guardians, what in the hell have you been up to? You've been out of touch for seven hours, and now that we have your signal back, it's coming from the _one_ place you were ordered to avoid. You have some explaining to do, Fireteam Leader."

"Sir, it's a long story, but I assure you, I think you'll understand why we did what we did after you hear it."


	13. Vanguard Debriefing

Zavala's pale blue skin was noticeably turning purple by the end of Bill's re-telling of their mission. His brow was furrowed, his fists balled up. Ikora remained silent, sifting through the data recovered from La Voix's bunker. Cayde had his head in his palm, muttering to himself that it was "nice knowing these three."

Zavala let out a long sigh, and rose from his chair. "Bill... I have no idea what to say. Not only did you and your team show a flagrant disregard for the Vanguard's orders, but that nearly got you all killed. You came close to waking a being that could destroy all life in this system-"

"But I _didn't,_ sir! My team survived, and we managed to slip past th-"

"Allow me to finish, Guardian!" Zavala barked. "Technicalities will not absolve you this time! You and yours acted recklessly! Not to mention that after encountering a construct that had the potential to protect the City and this solar system from _any_ threat we could face, you chose to _destroy_ it! What were you thinking?"

Bill straightened up, adjusting the sling his left arm sat in. "I was thinking that anything that could possess that much power posed as much a risk to us as she did to our enemies, Commander."

"Any risk is one I am willing to take, Bill!" Zavala stopped, sighed again, and set both of his hands on the large table in front of him. "Do you realize just how vulnerable this City is?"

"Sir?" Bill raised an eyebrow.

"Did you even look at the data you recovered from that base?"

"No, sir. I didn't quite have the time."

Zavala motioned to his colleague. "Ikora, show them."

"Zavala? Are you sure?" Ikora began to rise from her seat.

"There's no point in keeping this information a secret any longer. It is time our Guardians know the truth. All of them will receive this information in time, but we will start with these three."

Dak stood. "What truth? What's going on here, sir?"

Kahlee leaned back in her seat. "They're talking about the Hive."

Bill, Dak and the Vanguard all turned to look at her. Cayde unfolded his arms. "Now how did you figure that out?"

Kahlee shrugged. "I read through some of what we recovered during the flight back. Val and I sifted through the info on the Exiles pretty quickly, nothing out of the ordinary there, but we came across La Voix's logs on the Hellmouth, and-"

"Wait a minute, who?" Cayde held up a hand to stop her.

"La Voix. That was the name Bill gave to the AI. But as I was saying, she collected massive amounts of data about a race of creatures known as the Hive."

The Titan Vanguard breathed out through his nose. "Ikora."

As she stood, Ikora activated the holo-projector, once again displaying the Moon. "Most of what this construct recovered is indeed new intel for us, but the Hive are not unbeknownst to the Vanguard. Many years ago, before any of you came to the Light, the Hive threatened every corner of our galaxy. Many Guardians fell trying to keep them at bay. In the end, the Moon was sacrificed in hopes that they would stay there. All offensive and defensive actions by Fireteams was ceased on Luna, and we abandoned all outposts. We have not heard anything from the Hive since."

"That is," began Zavala, "until you barged into the Hellmouth and got caught in the middle of a shootout with two Fallen Houses."

"Are they… active again, sir?" Asked Bill.

"Not exactly, but the fact that this AI felt the need to commit suicide to protect herself from the Hive is not at all a comfort to me. However..." the Awoken's eyes softened. "In the end, I have to admit I may have reacted a bit… harshly. While the alternative was more preferable, you made the right call to destroy her."

"Thank you, sir." Bill nodded to his mentor.

"Well, I for one feel so much better now that we've had this talk." Dak said with a sarcastic tone.

"It isn't over yet." Cayde cocked his head. "Better get comfy, kiddos..."

Cayde hit a button on the table, and a three-eyed, grotesque creature appeared in the holo-projection.

"We've got a LOT to talk about."


	14. Epilogue

She stood on the far edge of the crater, her silhouette broken up by the jagged remains of the bunker. Dropping the empty magazine from her rifle and loading a new one, she watched the three Guardians as they waited for their ships. A voice crackled in her ear.

"You find them?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Three." She replied, steely eyes following the Titan as he walked ahead of the others, clutching his shoulder. She could see the little Light flicker and flutter around him, appearing to try and tend to a wound.

"Well," the voice asked. "What do you think?"

She turned away from her subjects. "They're brave. No doubt about that. But, they're not the ones."

"What do you mean? They just killed her. Is that not interesting enough for you?"

"Don't get me wrong, they _are_ interesting. But it's clear their destiny lies apart from yours and mine. I feel it best that they walk their own path."

Silence on the other end. She wondered what her companion would say next. She began to descend from her perch, tattered cape billowing in the rare lunar wind. Her companion finally responded.

"So… what now?"

She engaged her transmat, and as she dematerialized, she spoke.

"We keep looking."


End file.
